Minister believes schools should teach more about Jasenovac and Holocaust

Science, Education and Sports Minister Predrag Sustar said on Monday that in his opinion Croatian schools were not teaching students enough about the Jasenovac WWII prison camp and the Holocaust and that Croatia was generally falling behind in facing the past which, as he said, should be done in a scientific, calm, expert and civilised manner.

Sustar believes that Croatia's entire past should be studied in a scientific, calm, expert and civilised manner - both the phases of success that we can be proud of and those that were shameful. That means facing the past, the minister told reporters.

"When looking at the experience of learning about the Holocaust in countries with developed democracies in central Europe, including Germany and Austria, it is obvious that in Croatia we haven't learned the lesson," Sustar said. He believes that facing the past is the "best possible investment," adding that developed democracies in Croatia's neighbourhood have done so and it was finally time to do so in Croatia.

He concluded that it was necessary to learn more about the Holocaust in schools and that lessons about it should be better prepared, adding that the curriculum reform could contribute to this. He confirmed that it was necessary for students to visit Jasenovac and added that in addition to theory, students should visit Knin and Vukovar, as well as Jasenovac.

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